A Kindred Spirit
by hb.writes
Summary: This is the story of Emilia. At the age of fifteen, she is trying to find herself and figure out being a teenager after losing her parents and now dealing with all of the supernatural baggage that comes with being in Mystic Falls as well as the baggage from resurfacing memories that she had put out of her mind long ago.
1. Chapter 1

Emilia Gilbert sat in her father's favorite reclining chair by the fire curled under an old blanket that had once belonged to her mother's mother. The chair was a faded shade of red and well worn in, and described as uncomfortable by most who sat in it. To this day, it was still Emilia's favorite spot. She watched curiously as her sister Elena came through the front door with the new guy from school, Stefan Salvatore. It had taken all but one day for Elena and Stefan to become an item, but this was the first that she had brought him home to introduce him.

"Hi guys! Jer, Emmy, this is Stefan," Elena said to her younger siblings.

"Nice to meet you, man," Jeremy said, putting down his xbox controller and standing up from his seat on the couch, holding out a hand for Stefan to shake. Jeremy had spent much of the summer having late nights out with his friends, playing video games or locked in his room listening to music that Emilia frequently labeled as "angry."

The youngest Gilbert returned her concentration to the book placed in her lap and didn't move from her spot under Grandma Gilbert's blanket. She felt Elena and Stefan's eyes on her. Emilia continued to read the same line over and over again, feeling distracted but reluctant to engage in conversation with Elena and her boyfriend.

"Emilia, did you hear me?" Elena asked, compelling her younger sister to look up and greet her new boyfriend.

"It's fine, Elena," Stefan offered instantaneously when he sensed the tension between the two girls.

Elena's calming was evident immediately. Stefan turned back to the young girl who was now looking at him from across the room. He took in the image of the youngest Gilbert as quickly as possible without making it awkward. Elena and Emilia looked alike only because they styled their hair in a similar way, long and straight. Emilia was also slim like her sister, but the youngest Gilbert was blonde, with eyes more green than brown, and a few inches shorter.

"Emilia was my sister's name. You remind me of her, actually."

"What happened to her?" Emilia asked, putting her bookmark in the page and looking up to meet Stefan's gaze.

"Emilia," Elena scolded softly.

"It's fine, Elena," Stefan answered for the second time in a matter of minutes before returning his gaze to Emilia, "She died when she was thirteen. It was an accident."

The four words 'it was an accident' fell heavily on the room as Stefan said them. Jeremy stopped shooting in his game, Elena's breath hitched and Emilia stared straight into the fire in front of her. The three Gilbert siblings were silent as Stefan's mind wandered to memories of his younger sister.

"_Miss Mia, get out here and enjoy yourself a little," Katherine called out to the young girl. _

_Katherine was in the garden, throwing around a ball with Stefan and Damon, while Mia sat on the back porch steps with a book that she borrowed from one of Mystic Falls' college boys placed in her lap._

"_I'm reading!" she answered, not bothering to look up._

"_Actually, my dear little sister, you are just being dreadfully boring and I do require some assistance from a certain little golden haired darling if I am to win this game."_

_Mia looked up, ready to roll her eyes and Damon was already by her side._

"_Damon, you're supposed to be an adult."_

"_And you are supposed to be a child. Little sister, you spend far too much time in your books and not enough time having fun."_

_He took the book from her hands and tossed it to the side, lifting her over his shoulder and out into the garden while Stefan and Katherine laughed._

"_Books are fun! You put me down this instant, Damon Salvatore!"_

"_Dostoyevsky is not fun, dear sister. I will put you down when you agree to have some real fun with us."_

"_Damon! Stop it!" she squealed as he tickled her to the ground where she continued to thrash about._

"_Stefan, save me!" she called out_

"_Only if you're on my team," he answered, pulling Damon off their little sister and tackling him to the ground. She stood up quickly and ran towards where Katherine stood in the garden._

"_I think not, dear brothers. Sisters before misters. That's what Kat taught me," Emilia answered before taking Katherine's hand and running from the boys. It wasn't long before Stefan and Damon had caught up with them. Stefan took his sister into his arms, tickling relentlessly to the sounds of her giggles and screams until she promised to be on his team and defeat Damon._

Emilia's quiet voice broke Stefan from his reverie when the silence became too much for her to handle.

"I'm sorry about your sister. It's very nice to meet you, Stefan."

"It's very nice to meet you as well, Emilia."

Jeremy had made himself scarce before dinner time, but Emilia had no place to go. The Lockwood siblings, Ashley and Tyler, were required to be home for dinner, something their mother had put together. Matt had a shift at The Grill. Rosalie was having dinner with Jake. Jenna was staying at school for the night to work on a big project. She sulked in her room for hours while Bonnie, Stefan and Elena monopolized the kitchen. She joined them in the kitchen when called to dinner, sitting beside Bonnie and across from Stefan at the table. It was an awkward dinner to say the least, but Emilia stayed quiet, listening to their conversation about Bonnie's family history.

"Emilia, what do you like to-"

It was the first time that evening that anyone spoke to Emilia, and Stefan was interrupted by a knocking at the door.

"I wonder who that could be," Elena said as she stood up to answer the door.

Stefan stood up to follow Elena to the door and Emilia looked to Bonnie. She could tell that Bonnie was not a fan of Stefan, but he had seemed pleasant enough to Emilia. Emilia whispered "this is fun" to Bonnie and she broke a smile. Caroline's voice could be heard coming down the hallway. She carried in a small chocolate cake and placed it on the table.

"Hi baby Gilbert," Caroline said, kissing Emilia on the cheek, "We brought some dessert."

"Who's we?" Emilia asked staring at the man who had followed her in.

"Oh, how very rude of me! This is Damon Salvatore, Stefan's older, more charming brother. Damon, this is Elena's baby sister, Emilia Gilbert."

Damon stared at her with the same look that Stefan had at the announcement of her name.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, little Gilbert."

"Same to you. And with that, this party has become a little too big for me. I am going for a run," Emilia said, pushing her chair away from the table.

She could sense the tension between Stefan and Damon. Emilia had no desire to be present to their weird group for any longer than necessary.

"Isn't it a little late for a run?" Elena asked.

"Just to the Grill and back. I'll check in with Matt and Jer and then come home," Emilia answered.

"It's dark out and you're-."

"I'm what, Elena? It's Mystic Falls, not New York City. I'll be fine."

"She has a point there, Elena. Mystic Falls is pretty safe comparatively," Damon offered.

"Thank you, Damon," Emilia answered, "My sister is just mildly over protective sometimes. I'll text you when I get to the Grill."

Leaving no room for further argument, Emilia headed up the stairs to change. Running was the only thing getting her through the days since the accident. Jeremy had been taking drugs and drinking all summer, Elena had been writing in her diary and Emilia was running. She wasn't fast; it hurt her lungs in the beginning, but after the first full month, she started to feel a release. It didn't hurt that the long hard runs also helped her to fall asleep at night. It also didn't hurt that she had gained a running partner a few weeks in. Most days, she met Tyler Lockwood somewhere in between his mansion and her house. They always took the same route, which doubled back when they reached the cemetery, insuring that they would meet up someplace along the run as long as they were both out at the same time.

Tonight, Tyler wasn't waiting for her outside the gates of his house so she continued on her way to the Grill by herself, taking her time until she heard footsteps behind her.

"Hey Gilbert," he said as he caught up to her.

"Hey Lockwood," Emilia answered, picking up her pace.

"Angry today?" he asked, "I'll bite. I bet my story is better."

Tyler sped away in front of Emilia, causing her to sprint in order to catch up.

"You're an ass, Tyler. You know I can't go that fast."

"Yes you can. You're getting better," he answered casually.

Tyler sounded sincere, but he had this stupid cocky grin and Emilia couldn't stand it. It was the trait of Tyler's that she loved to hate. He was a jerk sometimes, but at least he was honest about it.

"How's Vicki?" she asked changing the subject in a direction that she was sure Tyler didn't want.

"She's currently caught in a very exciting love triangle between your stupid brother and myself."

Emilia huffed, "If Vicki liked nice guys this would be no contest because like I said, you're an ass."

"Well, she is with me because she likes unbelievably hot assholes. Your brother is a dirt bag and you are a little bit nasty today, Emmy Gilbert. What is it?"

"Nothing. I got formally introduced to Stefan and Damon Salvatore today," she answered, again steering the conversation where she wanted it to go.

"Now you want to talk about assholes," Tyler mused.

"They seemed fine to me, but Elena and Jeremy are driving me nuts lately."

"I understand being annoyed with Jeremy, but what did Elena do?"

"She's just being herself. Being overprotective and motherly, but thankfully Jer causes more trouble than I do."

"Because you're just some perfect little angel?" Tyler laughed.

"Oh, whatever, Tyler."

"You think I don't know what happened to my father's alcohol stash this summer? I may have taken the fall for it, but that has your name written all over it."

Emilia smirked at the boy and ran a little faster.

"Oh you want to race?" Tyler asked pulling ahead of her.

Emilia caught up, but wasn't able to pass. He slowed to a stop in front of the Grill and Emilia headed inside to find Jeremy or Matt.

"Hey Emmy. The kitchen is about to close. Do you want something?" he asked.

"No thanks. I told psycho sister I would check in here before finishing my run and heading back home. Can you text her for me? Tell her I'll be back in 20 minutes."

Matt looked hesitant.

"C'mon it's been four months, Matt."

"Yeah, four months that I have spent thinking that she needed space. She is clearly cozying up to Stefan and doesn't need any more space."

"Fine. I was the best girlfriend's little sister that you ever could have asked for, but fine. I'll ask Jer to do it. Have you seen him around?"

"If you can find Vicki, I'm sure you'll find him."

"Thanks, Matt."

It wasn't long before she spotted Jer at a table that Vicki was clearing.

"Hey," she said, stepping next to her brother.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Out for a run. They were driving me nuts at home. Just text Elena for me. Let her know I'm on my way back," she answered.

"You're out running alone?" he asked surprised, "It's almost 10:00."

"I'm safe. I've got my reflective gear."

Emilia twirled, showing off the jacket while Jeremy rolled his eyes.

"Fine, I'll see you at home. I'm on my way out anyway."

"Thanks, Jer."

She headed back outside where Tyler was waiting on a bench in town square.

"Took you long enough," he said.

Tyler and Emilia weren't supposed to be friends. Jeremy would flip. Elena would be less than impressed. Ashley would just be jealous if she knew that Em and Tyler actually had meaningful conversation during their runs. Emilia told Tyler almost more than she told his younger sister these days. In the real world it wasn't much of a difference, but Emilia understood that in the high school world, it was a little weird for a junior and a freshman to hang out.

"Well your best friend still has a complex about my sister and my brother has a complex about your best friend's sister, so that can take some time. Let's go. Jer says he's heading out soon and I'd rather not be seen wandering around Mystic Falls late at night with the likes of you."

"Funny, Gilbert and who exactly is it you would like to be seen around town with late at night? You seem to get me to tell you all of my girl troubles and I can't seem to get anything out of you."

"That's easy because I don't like anyone right now."

"I doubt that. You're a fifteen year old girl."

"And boys in Mystic Falls are idiots," she answered confidently, "I'm not interested. I just want to read my books and get good grades and go to college far, far away from here."

"And, here we are, the nerdy Emilia Samantha Gilbert is back."

"How do you know that?" Emilia snapped.

"Because I will never forget all of the times when you were just a little kid and at each and every one of the town events, you couldn't just sit still and do what you were supposed to. You had to roam and touch things and your Dad would just say your full name, not even yell it and you would go scurrying back and do what you were supposed to…" Tyler answered, "For about five minutes."

He smirked at her.

"You know, I seem to remember hearing a Tyler Richard Lockwood's name being _yelled_ on several occasions, very loudly. Again tomorrow night?" she asked.

"First off, don't call me that ever again. And we have the game, remember?"

"Right, your new teammate mentioned that tonight at dinner. I'll see ya later, Tyler Richard."

"Don't think I won't kick your ass just because you're a girl."

Emilia smirked at him as she ran towards her house.

"Goodnight, Tyler."


	2. Chapter 2

Emilia led Rose and Ashley to the end of the parking lot where Jeremy sat on the bed of one of his friends' pickup trucks.

"We can't go over there. They're a bunch of stoners," Ashley said, purely her older brother's words coming straight out of her mouth.

"Alright, Tyler Junior," Emilia answered, pushing her friend lightly with her shoulder, "It's just Jer and his friends. You've known him since you were born and those guys are harmless, well, except Carter. Carter is a major creep."

"Don't compare me to my brother!" she complained.

"Then stop acting like him," Emilia answered, slightly annoyed. She cared for both Tyler and Ashley, but they could be snobby jerks.

"Seriously, Ashley. Emmy's right. We've known Jer forever."

"And he's got the alcohol, so be nice to him," Emilia added with a smile.

"Hey Jer, we have been looking all over for you," she said as she stopped by the truck, Rose and Ashley right behind her.

"Really? Sure you weren't just looking for my friend, Jack?" he asked handing her the bottle of whiskey.

She took a gulp before smirking at him.

"Very funny, Jer."

Emilia put the bottle to her lips a second time and Jeremy put up a hand to stop her.

"One drink, little sister."

"Since when do you care how many drinks I have?"

"Since you decided to bring your little Lockwood friends along with you," Jeremy said eyeing Ashley and Rose.

"Ok, just because you and Tyler don't get along doesn't mean you have to shun my friends."

"Em, just get out of here before Elena realizes that her perfect little angel of a sister is missing," Jeremy said as he turned her away from him with two firm hands on her shoulders. Emilia didn't budge. This was her plan for the evening and she wasn't going to let her brother deter her from it.

"Oh come on, Gilbert, let the girl drink. Let her have some fun with us. It's a sausage fest over here anyway. C'mon up, Emmy."

It was Jimmy who said the words. He was a senior, the unsaid leader of Jeremy's friend group. Emilia eyed him curiously. He was Jeremy's dealer and had never said more than a few words to her. He had sought out Jeremy after their parents' accident. His mother had died three years before from cancer. She made a face at Jeremy and took Jimmy's outstretched hand as he pulled her up to the truck bed.

"Dude, she's my baby sister. She's barely even fifteen."

"Lighten up, Gilbert. Take a shot with your _baby_ sister and her cute friends. It'll make you feel better. Come on up, girls."

Emilia watched as the other boys helped her friends onto the truck. Rose and Ashley were pretty girls, they always had been and Jeremy's friends were primed to take advantage of that. Like Tyler, the girls were tan no matter what the season. Rose's long hair was light brown and Ashley's was more of an auburn shade. The two were cousins, but looked more like sisters.

"Yeah, Jer. Take a shot with me. Loosen up a little. You're starting to remind me of Elena."

He looked her in the eye and though he wanted to be stern with her and send her away sober, he had to give in. Jeremy flashed his little sister a smile and ruffled her blonde curls, fully knowing that she had spent at least an hour curling them to perfection.

"Jer!" she yelled, swatting his hand away.

"You are a huge pain in my ass, you know that?" he asked.

"No, but I do know that I'm your favorite sister."

"I don't have favorites. You and Elena both annoy the hell out of me equally."

"Say that again with a straight face this time," she answered.

In truth, Jeremy didn't have a favorite and Em knew that, but she loved to tease and lately, Jeremy did get along with Emilia better. She didn't nag as much. She wasn't always trying to get him to talk about something. Emilia didn't care if he did his homework or skipped class. She just let things be and lived in the moment, which was why Jeremy tended to enjoy Emilia's company.

"Cheers, Emmy," he answered, forcing his little sister to stop talking and take her shot.

It wasn't long before Jeremy loosened up, happily sipping from the same bottle as his little sister as the group talked. It was the most that they had really hung out since before the summer. Jeremy watched Emilia as she joked around with the group. She was experiencing grief so much differently than Jeremy was, than Elena was. Jeremy was convinced she was the only one that was actually handling it in a semi-constructive way. She seemed normal, happy even most days.

Out of the corner of her eye, Emilia spotted Tyler talking with Vicki before he looked in their direction. She heard him say Jeremy's name and then watched Vicki's attempts to stop Tyler with her hand on his shoulder, but it was useless. Tyler was strong and Vicki simply wasn't. Tyler stopped a few feet in front of Jeremy, but turned his gaze to his sister.

"Ashley, what the hell are you hanging out with these dirt bags for?" he spat.

"Ty-," she started.

"Get off the fucking truck, Ashley. You too, girls."

Emilia stepped off the truck, but not to comply. She moved in front of her brother to be closer to Tyler.

"Tyler, shut the hell up and back off. You aren't the boss of us. Don't start something you don't really want to finish."

He stared at Emilia and she stared back, daring him to expose their friendship, daring him to really tell her what to do or even better, to go easy on her, be nice to her. Either way, their friendship would be obvious.

"Ashley, Rosalie- Get out of here, now."

When Ashley and Rose started to back away, Tyler returned his gaze to Jeremy, who had moved so he stood slightly in front of Emilia.

"Can I help you?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah, first of all, you should really get Little Gilbert here under control. Maybe teach her some manners and respect. And second, you can stop the frowning and the longing stares. I'll let you have her when I'm finished," Tyler said, nodding his head back in Vicki's direction.

Jeremy's fist collided with the side of Tyler's face. Emilia pushed herself between Tyler and Jeremy. Tyler's comment wasn't kind to her, but she wasn't going to let either of them get hurt in a fight.

"Guys, stop it," she said, attempting to push them apart.

Tyler effortlessly removed Emilia from the space between himself and Jeremy, his grip on her arm effortlessly strong as he pulled her off to the side before shoving Jeremy hard so his back crashed into the open tailgate of the pickup truck. Jeremy pushed Tyler back, landing on top of him on the ground. Emilia cringed when she heard the sounds of their repeated fist to face contact and begged them to stop. She attempted to hold Tyler's arm back from punching Jeremy again. In the distance, she heard a voice say 'enough' and it was a moment before she realized that there was an arm wrapped around her waist from behind, pulling her out of the way and another arm that caught Tyler's wrist just as it headed down for another swing. Both belonged to Elena's new boyfriend, Stefan. When Tyler turned to face Stefan, he was poised to punch him, but stopped as he made eye contact with Emilia, his face turning from rage to flat, though he was clearly still seething with anger, and even more so now that Stefan was standing before him.

In another quick motion, Stefan pushed Tyler to the right and put up his hand. Even in her slightly drunken state, Emilia did the same when she saw Jeremy with the glass bottle, putting her arm over her head as she buried her face in Stefan's chest. The edge of the bottle hit Stefan's hand first before grazing Emilia's forearm, which she immediately pulled into her chest. The sleeve of her shirt was already soaked with blood when she looked down at it, feeling lightheaded.

Emilia came to moments later, still in Stefan's arms though he had lowered her to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked.

"Too much blood," Emilia answered, slurring her words slightly.

"Too much whiskey," Stefan answered with a slight chuckle in his voice as he smirked at her.

"No way, I'm the good one! Honor roll, service work. I'm the golden child!" she protested.

"Sorry, but I can smell it on your breath, kid," he answered.

"I'm not a kid," Emilia answered.

"What is wrong with you two?" Elena scolded her younger siblings, "You're both raging alcoholics."

"Elena, lay off. You're not our mother," Jeremy answered with spite before walking to where Emilia was on the ground.

"I'm so sorry Em. That was meant for Dickwood, not you. Do you think she's going to be ok?" he asked, turning to Stefan.

"She might need stitches," Stefan answered.

"You're right," Elena answered, "Let's go, Em. Can you walk?"

"I'm fine. Gosh Lena, you're so protective. I'm not a baby," Emilia offered as she stood to walk towards the car, stumbling again.

Jeremy and Stefan both caught an arm, but Jeremy wasn't walking too straight himself.

"I'll carry her to the car," Stefan offered.

"I've got it. She's my sister," Jeremy protested.

"Jer, you're drunker than she is. Just let Stefan do it," Elena argued, "Just go home, Jer. We'll be there soon."

Jeremy scoffed, but he turned away.

With that, Stefan lifted Emilia into his arms, carrying the girl to the car and setting her gently in the backseat.

"You are quite the handful, you know that?"

"It's a hard job, but I'm up to the task," she answered, smirking.

Stefan laughed at the girl before shutting the door, recalling his own little sister had similar thoughts on the matter.

"She'll be ok, Elena," he offered, pulling her into his arms.

"I know. It's just so frustrating. They have both gone nuclear. She never drank before this. Jer didn't either."

"They're what 15 and 16? I'm pretty sure that's normal to experiment. They'll be ok. I have to go, Elena, but I'll check in on you guys later."

"Right, go Timber wolves!" she answered unenthusiastically with a sad smile, "I'm sorry we ruined your big night."  
"You didn't. I like your brother and sister," Stefan said, kissing her before he left her side, his mind reeling about how it was possible that Emilia Gilbert's blood didn't hold any desire for him. Yet, even hugging Elena caused his insides to churn. Stefan heard the pulse of the blood through Emilia's veins; felt the warmth under her skin. But he experienced no craving, no uncontrollable lust to bite into her neck and drain the entire supply of blood from her body. Emilia lay unconscious in his arms blood covering her and, he felt nothing except worry and a bit of frustration at the child for getting herself in this mess to begin with.


	3. Chapter 3

"_Little otter, come down from there," a male voice insisted from the grown._

"_No, I like it up here and I'm not an otter. I want to be a bird and not a little one a big bird," Emilia answered assertively. She didn't look down, but instead she looked straight out from where she stood several feet above the ground in the nook of a tree. The valley was beautiful and vast, with the sun setting in the east. Emilia had never seen anything like it and it made her feel calm._

"_Little one, come down right now. It's not safe," a different voice urged, though she ignored him as well. She climbed higher, despite the voices urging her to come down. She felt herself slip on a wet piece of bark. Panic pulsed through her body until she felt hands on her arm, their hold gentle, but firm._

Jenna shook her niece awake, after witnessing her whimper for a few moments while she was deep in her sleep.

"Good afternoon, Miss Aurora,"

"Clever," Emilia answered, "It's not even noon yet, Aunt Jenna."

"Whatever you say, Princess," Jenna answered, their inside 'Sleeping Beauty' joke from years past still alive and well. Emilia loved to nap; she always had.

"I guess you've probably heard about my night so you'll excuse me for getting some extra sleep. It was pretty much the doctor's orders."

"You guess I heard? You mean I got to hear from a terrified Elena how you and your brother were drunk and got into a fight with Tyler Lockwood resulting in your stitches?"

Emilia didn't fill the silence.

"Yes, I know about that," Jenna said as she sat down on Emilia's bed, "Found out about 20 minutes ago matter of fact, because I am officially the worst parental figure ever."

"No you aren't. You may have been left with some defective kids, but you're doing great. I'm sorry, I really am, Aunt Jenna."

Emilia hated to be the one to disappoint Jenna. She was the "cool aunt" and always had been more like a friend than anything else. Guardianship was hard work and the Gilbert kids weren't the easiest to handle.

"You are grounded, Emilia Gilbert."

"Yes, fine, good. I'm exhausted," Emilia answered before pulling the blankets up to her head.

"I don't think so. Up and at 'em, princess. You've got chores," Jenna answered pulling the blankets from Emilia's grasp, though she fought it.

"Like what?"

"Proofreading for starters. You're lucky you need to keep those stitches dry because the windows need washing, too."

Jenna held out a hand to pull her niece out of bed and when Emilia took it, Jenna pulled the girl in for a hug and kissed her forehead.

"I'm glad you're okay, kiddo."

"Aunt Jenna, I'm fine. It's not the first time that Jer has sent me to the hospital."

"That's a good point. And it's also not the first time that your sister has had to take you to the hospital. I think she deserves an apology from you."

Emilia groaned. Her sister could be pretty hard to please at times and Emilia felt as though no matter what, she and Jer would always find something to screw up in Elena's eyes. They had a good relationship for sisters, but they still fought, often about Elena's motherly tendencies towards her and Jeremy and even more frequently since their parents had passed away. Elena looked up at Emilia as she came into the kitchen and grabbed a yogurt from the fridge.

"How mad are you on a scale from 'No big; it happens' to 'I'm revoking your maid of honor status'?" Emilia asked, hoping for a laugh, or at the very least, a smile from Elena.

Elena frowned at her younger sister.

"Somewhere around 'you ruined my boyfriend's big night, ruined my night and did at least five stupid things that I am extremely unimpressed with such as getting drunk at a football game, getting in the middle of a fight with Tyler and Jer, and putting yourself in serious danger," Elena sighed and returned her attention to her cereal.

Emilia let Elena's monologue set in before responding.

"Well, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your night or Stefan's. And I appreciate that you took care of me. I really do. Can you thank Stefan for me? I honestly don't remember everything from last night, but I remember him being there."

"He pretty much saved your life, Emilia. If you didn't get drunk, you might have remembered. You can thank him yourself when he gets here."

Emilia nodded. Elena was being snarky with her, but it was better than the silent treatment. Elena pulled out a box of old trinkets that Emilia recognized as family heirlooms and began polishing. Elena had mentioned loaning them to the Lockwood's for the heritage exhibit. Emilia had often gone through the items with her parents whenever they were needed for an exhibit at founder's events.

"Grandma Beth's wedding ring?" Jenna asked.

"Actually, it's Great Great Grandma Mary's wedding ring."

"And how much do you think all of this stuff is worth on ebay?" Jer asked as he sat down beside Emilia.

"You'll never find out," Elena responded forcefully.

"It's mom and dad's stuff, Elena. You can't just give it away," Jeremy answered angrily.

"Sheesh, will you two just relax?" Emilia asked, "I've got a headache."

"Serves you right," Jeremy answered, "You had way too much to drink last night."

"You gave it to me, you idiot!" Emilia responded.

"Alright, alright. You're both idiots and you're both in trouble for it so what does it matter who's the bigger idiot?" Jenna interrupted as the door rang, "Jer, go get started."

Emilia didn't even care what punishment Jeremy got. Whatever it was, she was pretty sure that she'd gotten off easier. Emilia checked herself over briefly before following Elena to the front door. By the way that Elena had sprung up when she heard the bell, Emilia was pretty sure that it was Stefan. Emilia looked like a mess and she knew it, but she was hung over and Stefan already knew that she would be so it didn't really matter what she looked like.

"Good morning, Emilia," Stefan said when he noticed me standing in the hall. He and Elena were embracing one another and Elena had just greeted him with a kiss.

"Hi Stefan. I'm sorry to interrupt. I just, well, thanks for taking care of me last night."

"My pleasure," he answered, "How are you feeling today?"

"Pretty hung over," she answered honestly, "My head is still throbbing."

Stefan chuckled at her.

"Good. That's good. You'll think twice next time," he offered.

"Perhaps," she answered.

Elena looked anxious to take Stefan upstairs and Emilia took the hint.

"And I am currently grounded for an indefinite amount of time, so if you'll excuse me, I am going to go work my way out of that mess."

Emilia motioned to Jenna and the stacks of papers that covered the living room coffee table. It was clear that Jenna had been working hard on her thesis lately as the length had more than doubled. It was also clear that she had been neglecting grading for the class she was a TA for. Emilia started proof-reading the thesis pages in front of her. It wasn't the first time she had been grounded that summer and forced into proof-reading. She was good at it and reading didn't feel much like grounding to Emilia, so it worked out okay. Over an hour passed before Emilia spoke.

"So this grounding thing, how long were you planning on making it last?" she questioned, setting down the papers on her lap.

"It's barely been an hour and you're trying to get away from me already," Jenna sighed dramatically, "Can't a woman ground her niece and at least get two full hours of bonding time out of the deal?"

"I'm not trying to get away from you. I just need clarification. Like, can I go for my run later and can I still go to the Founder's Party?"

Jenna rolled her eyes and finally landed a smile at Emilia.

"Help me through the end of Chapter 4 and you are free, my dear."

"Thanks, Jenna."

Emilia stayed downstairs long enough to enjoy lunch with Jenna and then headed back up to her room. She grabbed her phone off the bedside table. Three messages from Ashley, two from Rose and that was it. She sent a text to Tyler – _Are we on good enough terms for a run later?_ He didn't respond, but Emilia got dressed for her run anyway. Tyler would get over it eventually. He had to, but this was the first time she had seen him that mad, at least up close like she had been.

She made it to the Lockwood mansion and Tyler was no place in site so she continued on, running faster because she was angry with him for not meeting her or texting her back. She was the one with the right to be angry, not him. Emilia turned the corner into the cemetery, preparing for a long run around the pond and through to the picnic area even further out.

"Gilbert," she heard Tyler gruffly call her name and stopped. He was seated on one of the sturdier looking grave stones with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Thanks for texting me back," she said as she walked over to him.

"I'm here, aren't I?" he answered with a smile as if that made everything okay. Emilia frowned at him.

"Tyler, what the hell happened last night? What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that your brother is a dick and needed to be taught a lesson."

"God, Tyler, you can be so ridiculous. He didn't do anything to you last night. We were minding our own business and you are the one being a dick, not Jer," she argued, pushing him on the shoulder.

Tyler grabbed her wrist and held her arm at a distance.

"Do not push me, Gilbert," he answered, "And you weren't any sort of angel last night, so don't pretend. You're hanging around with a bunch of stoners, drinking and bringing Ash and Rose around them. Plus, all those looks you were giving Jimmy last night. You have got to be kidding me."

"First of all, let go of me."

Emilia stared at Tyler until he dropped her.

"Second of all, I wasn't giving Jimmy any looks. I was hanging out with my brother and he happened to be there. Not that it is any of your business who I give looks to."

Tyler scoffed and raised his eyebrows as if that surprised him, which only served to make Emilia angrier. Tyler felt like he was entitled to some sort of opinion though Emilia vehemently disagreed.

"Since when exactly do you actually care at all what Ashley and Rosalie do? Since when do you care what I do?"

"I've always cared about you three. You know that."

Emilia didn't respond right away. She had known Tyler Lockwood just about as long as she could remember. She had spent summers running around the Lockwood mansion and the lawns, being yelled at by Mayor and Mrs. Lockwood for making too much noise and getting too dirty. She had been told to "beat it" countless times by Tyler and Matt when she tried to play with them if Ashley and Rose were being boring. And Tyler did care. He may have been a jerk at times, but when a seven-year-old Emilia fell out of the tree and sprained her ankle, he carried her back to the house. And when thirteen-year-old Emilia bumped into the table holding a very, very expensive vase that had been in the family for years, Tyler took the fall. And most recently, Tyler ran with Emilia almost every single day. They didn't always talk during their runs and it didn't seem like much, but he was there. Tyler had helped Emilia through much more than he knew as they ran, silent aside from their breathing in and out.

"It doesn't matter if you care about me. Fine, you can tell Rose and Ashley what to do, but not me. You have absolutely no right to tell me what to do, who to spend time with or who to 'give looks to' as you want to put it. We aren't even friends, Tyler. If Stefan wasn't there to stop it, you or Jer would've seriously hurt me. I would have needed more than just a few stitches."

Tyler's eyes moved to the bandages on her arm and then back to Emilia's eyes. He was somewhere between sorry and pissed off after Emilia stopped talking.

"I wouldn't have hurt you. You know that."

"Not on purpose, Ty, but you're terrifying when you're angry and that anger was being directed at me and my brother, who I care for quite a bit."

"I wasn't angry with you, Em."

"I know Tyler, but this is all so stupid. The whole thing is so messed up and you're being a complete and total idiot about it. Jeremy didn't do anything to you and you know what? He's right anyway. You treat Vicki like complete and total shit. She deserves better. You're always pushing her around the same way you try to push me around. It's not like you have any sort of authority to. You are a bully, Tyler. Deep down, I want to believe that you care, but it's hard when you act like this. I'll see you at the party."

Emilia ran away from him without another word, continuing on the long trail she had intended on taking before she ran into Tyler. She was relieved that he didn't follow her. The runs usually created a sense of calm in Emilia, but today, she felt beyond riled up when she flopped down on her bed. Tyler's text messages waiting for her on her phone didn't help.

_I just want to let you know that you are wrong in so many ways._

_And just because I let you run away doesn't mean we're done talking._


End file.
